A Selection of Historical Maps of Afghanistan

By Cynthia Smith
August 2004

Persia Arabia & c.

G7620 1855 .J2

This presentation consists of a brief history of Afghanistan, from
the Persian Empire to the early 20th Century, as well as images of related
maps from the collections of the Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress.

Persian Empire to Mughul Dynasty

Afghanistan was an important crossroads, dominated by other civilizations throughout
its history. By 522 BC. Darius the Great extended the boundaries of the Persian
Empire into most of the region. By 330 BC. Alexander the Great conquered Persia
and Afghanistan. Buddhism was introduced in 50 AD, when Afghanistan became
part of the Kushanid Empire. Hephtatlites (White Huns) invaded in the 5th century
and destroyed the Buddhist culture. From 225 to 600 AD, Sassanians (Persians)
established control. The first Muslim-Arab conquests occurred from 652 to 654.
A succession of dynasties, the Ghaznavid, Ghorid and Timurid ruled the area
from 997 to 1506 AD. Babur, the founder of India’s Mughul Dynasty governed
Kabul in 1504 and in time much of the territory that is present day Afghanistan.[1]

“Persarum Imperium” published in 1721 by Pierre Moulard Sanson.

G7621.S23 1721 .S2 TIL

The provinces (satrapies) of Bactriana and Ariana are shown on the map. Present day Mazar-e-Sharif is located in the former province of Bactriana. Herat is located in the former province of Ariana.

17th Century to the Early 19th Century

Khushhal Khan Khattak, a famous Afghan warrior poet, led a rebellion against
the Mughul Dynasty in the 1600s. Mir Wais Khan Hotaki revolted against Safavid
rule and took over Kandahar in 1708. By 1736 Afsharid ruler, Nadir Shaw, gained
control of the region. In 1747 Nadir was assassinated. Later that year Ahmad
Durrani was elected king by a council of tribal leaders. During the 1760s,
Ahmad Shah Durrani extended Afghanistan’s borders into part of India. The
nation
of Afghanistan finally began to take shape under the leadership of Ahmad Shah
Durrani after centuries of invasions.[2]

“A New & Accurate Map of Persia” by Emanuel Bowen reflects the boundaries of Persia in 1747.

G7620 1747 .B6

Kandahar is shown within Persia. Kabul is shown outside of Persia’s boundaries within the “Kingdom of Balk.”

Timur, Ahmad Shah Durrani’s son, succeeded to the throne in 1773. He ruled
Afghanistan until his death in 1793, leaving over 20 sons. Timur’s descendants
were later engaged in a struggle for power. His son Zaman Shah became king
in 1793. Zaman Shah’s brother Mahmud captured the throne in 1800. In 1803,
another brother Shah Shuja reigned after replacing Mahmud. Mahmud forced
Shuja to flee in 1809 and remained king until he was driven from the throne
in 1817. From 1818 until 1826, Afghanistan disintegrated into a group of small
units each ruled by a different Durrani leader.[3] During this time the “Great
Game” between Great Britain and Russia was beginning to be played out. “The
Great Game” involved not only the confrontation of two great empires whose
spheres of influence moved steadily closer to one another until they met
in Afghanistan, but also the repeated attempts by a foreign power to impose
a puppet government in Kabul.[4]

First Anglo-Afghan War

The next leader, Dost Muhammad, ascended to the throne in 1826. Concerned
about growing Persian and Russian influences, the British, along
with former King Shuja, invaded Afghanistan in late 1838 while
Dost Muhammad was still
in power. Shuja was killed a few years later and the British were
defeated. Dost Muhammad returned to the throne in 1843.[5]

Lithograph
titled “Surrender of Dost Mahommed Khan to Sir William
Hay Macnaghten Bart, at the entrance into Caubul [sic]
from Killa-Kazee.”

Illus. in DS352.A8 Case Y [P&P]

The lithograph is from “Sketches in Afghaunistan” [sic] by James Atkinson, published
in 1842 by H. Graves & Company.

Treaty of Peshawar

During the years after the First Anglo-Afghan War the Russians,
interested in the territories of Central Asia, advanced southward. The British,
hoping to stop Russian advances, resumed relations with Dost Muhammad in
1854. In 1855 the Treaty of Peshawar proclaimed respect for Afghanistan’s
and Britain’s territorial integrity and declared each to be friends of each
other’s friends and enemies of each other’s enemies. In 1856 the Anglo-Persian
War broke out and the Qajar Dynasty took Herat back into its control.[6]

Second Anglo-Afghan War

During the 1860s the Russians intensified their southeastern advances.
“The Russian foreign minister claimed the Russian movements in Central Asia
were taken simply to unite Russia, not to oppose any other government.”[7]
In 1872, Russia signed an agreement with Great Britain consenting to respect
the northern boundaries of Afghanistan.[8] King Sher Ali permitted an uninvited
Russian delegate to enter Kabul in July 1878. Hoping to retain the British
influence, British Viceroy Lord Lytton ordered a diplomatic mission to travel
to Kabul on August 14th. When no reply was received the British sent a military
force to cross the Khyber Pass. Afghan authorities refused the British permission
to cross. This incident triggered the Second Anglo-Afghan War. On November
21, 1878 approximately 40,000 British soldiers entered Afghanistan. The
British withdrew two years later after facing strong resistance from the
Afghan forces.[9]

“Seat of
War in Asia, Map of Afghanistan.”

G7630
1875 .U5 TIL

The map is dated 1878 and was taken from surveys made by British and Russian
Officers.

Treaty of Gandomak

At the end of the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the Treaty of Gandomak
was completed between the British government and Amir Yaqub Khan. The treaty
was to establish peace and friendship between both countries. It provided
amnesty for Afghan collaborators with the British occupational forces and
committed the amir to conduct his foreign relations with advice from the
British Government. Great Britain, in exchange, promised to support the
amir against any foreign aggression.[10]

Russian Advances 1885

Abdur Rahman Khan ruled Afghanistan from 1880-1901. He modernized
the country, formed a strong army, brought in foreign professionals and
imported machinery. “Caught between the Russians and the British, Abdur
Rahman turned his formidable energies to what turned out to be virtually
the creation of the modern state of Afghanistan, while the British and the
Russians, with the Afghans as bystanders, determined the borders of the
Afghan State.”[11]

Russian forces seized the Merve Oasis inhabited by the Turkoman people in 1884.
In 1885 they took possession of the Panjdeh Oasis. Afghan attempts to retake
the territory failed. In 1886 the Anglo-Russian Boundary Commission agreed
on a border along the Amu Darya River. The Russian-British agreement resulted
in a permanent northern frontier, however, much territory was lost in the
Panjdeh region. [12]

“Map illustrative
of the march of the Indian Section of the Boundary Commission
from Quetta to Olerat and Badkis; of the frontier as proposed
and actually demarcated, and of the author’s return journey
from Herat to the Caspian.”

G7631.F2
1885 .M3

The map, published in 1885, shows the western half of Afghanistan, “Russian
Dominions,” “Persia” and “Belochistan.” The colored lines
indicate “Boundary as actually demarcated,” “Boundary as
required by the Russians,” and “Boundary as required by the
Afghans.”

The Durand Line

On November 12, 1893, Abdur Rahman Khan, and the Foreign Secretary
of the Colonial Government of India, Sir Mortimer Durand, agreed
to mark the boundary between Afghanistan and British India. The Durand Line
cut through Pashtun tribal areas
and villages. It was a cause of dispute between the governments
of Afghanistan and British India and later between Afghanistan and Pakistan.[13]

“Afghanistan,
Beloochistan, etc.”

G7630
1893 .H8 TIL

A map of Afghanistan, published in 1893, the year Abdur Rahman Khan and Sir Mortimer Durand
agreed to mark the boundary between Afghanistan and British India.

Early 20th Century

Abdur Rahman’s son, Habibullah, reigned from 1901-1919. In 1904
a boundary commission determined the border between Iran and Afghanistan.
The boundary was accepted by both countries. The Anglo-Russian Convention
of 1907 divided Afghanistan into areas of Russian and British influence.
Habibullah wanted full Afghan independence and Great Britain’s assistance
in an attempt to regain lands taken by the Russians. “Britain far more interested
in the European power struggle and the defense of India through an Afghan
buffer state was uninterested in such a scheme.”[14] Habibullah was assassinated
in 1919. His son Amanullah succeeded him. During his reign the month long
Third Anglo-Afghan War of 1919 resulted in complete Afghan independence.
Amanullah established diplomatic relationships with Russia in 1919, Iran
in 1921 and Great Britain in 1922.[15]

Images of other historical maps of Afghanistan and Southwest Asia
are available on Map Collections 1500-2004, www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap. Additional
maps will be added periodically.